Hair collection protocol in 12-month-old infants

Author(s)

Defelipe, Renata Pereira ; Francischelli, Isabella ; Pacheco, Beatriz ; Araujo, Patricia Pereira ; Mesquita, Ana Raquel ; Ribeiro, Miriam Oliveira ; Correa, Murilo ; Osorio, Ana

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY; v. 19, p. 6-pg., 2024-07-08.

Abstract

Purpose: Most studies assessing hair cortisol were conducted with adults. As specific guidelines for infant hair collection are lacking, we developed a hair collection protocol for 12-month-old infants and assessed its acceptability and feasibility. Results: Out of the total (N = 45), 95.6 % (n = 43) of caregivers consented to the procedure, while one caregiver did not consent (2.2 %), and another requested the procedure to be halted before required amount of hair had been reached (2.2 %). Furthermore, two (4.4 %) infants did not have enough hair for collection. There was no attrition due to infant fussiness/crying. Discussion: We learned five lessons which can help to enhance reproducibility, mother's consent, and motherinfant comfort and acceptance of the procedure. The first lesson is to have the infant sit on the caregiver's lap to ensure the infant feels safe and remains relatively still. The second is to reassure caregivers by showing hair samples representing the amount to be cut as well as by clarifying no unaesthetic gaps would be visible. The third is to caress the infant's head to habituate them to the hair manipulation and to make soap bubbles as distractors. The fourth is to take extra care when securing the lock of hair for cutting because the infant scalp is thin and malleable. The fifth is to place a precision scale in the collection room to ensure the necessary weight is reached. Conclusion: Our hair collection protocol developed for 12-month-old infants was deemed feasible and acceptable, filled an important literature gap concerning the absence of published protocols for infants, and will contribute to increase the replicability and collection efficiency for other research teams. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 21/06693-4 - The importance of social touch for infant social-emotional development: integrating neuroimaging, psychophysiological, endocrine, and behavioral evidence
• Grantee: Ana Alexandra Caldas Osório
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants - Phase 2
• FAPESP's process: 23/10038-7 - Maternal sensitivity and infants' endocrine stress responses
• Grantee: Julia Carnauba Terra
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 23/09990-5 - Associations between maternal sensitivity and infants' neuronal responses to maternal touch
• Grantee: Isabella Germinhasi Francischelli
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 23/16192-8 - Maternal touch behaviors and infant cortisol production
• Grantee: Beatriz Pacheco Bispo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 23/04029-5 - Neural responses to touch
• Grantee: Renata Pereira de Felipe
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral